'Hezbollah can hit Europe any time, without warning'

US official says Hezbollah, Iran maintaining high terrorist activity as Washington announces sanctions against Lebanon-based group.

Hezbollah supporters in Beirut 311 (R).
(photo credit:REUTERS)

Hezbollah could attack Europe at any time and with little to no warning, US
State Department counter-terrorism coordinator Daniel Benjamin said on Friday,
according to AFP.

“Our assessment is that Hezbollah and Iran will both
continue to maintain a heightened level of terrorist activity and operations in
the near future,” Benjamin said in a conference call with reporters. “Hezbollah
maintains a presence in Europe and its recent activities demonstrate that it is
not constrained by concerns about collateral damage or political fallout that
could result from conducting operations there... We assess that Hezbollah could
attack in Europe or elsewhere at any time with little or no
warning.”

Benjamin warned that Hezbollah could become increasingly
violent as international sanctions threaten Syria and Iran, its
patron-states.

“Hezbollah believes there have been sustained Israeli and
Western campaigns against the group and its primary backers Iran and Syria over
the past several years, and this perception is unlikely to change. Both remain
determined to exact revenge against Israel and to respond forcefully to the
Western-led pressure against Iran and Syria,” he said.

Though dispelling
fears that Hezbollah could be active in the US, Benjamin said the group had
“stepped up [its] terrorist campaign around the world.”